Shots/Vaccines?

Traveling in S. America for over 2 weeks in April. I think the answer may be no, but a friend brought up a good question the other night. Are there any shots/vaccines I may need to take before my travels? I appreciate the feedback. marc

As Kye replied, it depends on where in SA you plan to travel. The MASTA site is very good. You can also look at the CDC's Traveler's Health section which will tell you what is recommended for the areas you plan to visit.

I would also suggest posting your itinerary (if you have that worked out) so people can reply according to country, etc.

I will be in Peru, Chile, and Argentina. You can see my itinerary in my profile, Ill be traveling quite a bit by bus as well. I looked at those sites both very helpfull but I would like some additonal suggestions from some of you who are experienced.

I would say for those countries get your Hep A and B vaccs, typhoid, and yellow fever to be safe. you dont need anti-malarials unless you are planning a jaunt into the jungle.

Vaccinations are really important and you can still get sick even after having them. Be really careful with your personal hygiene in SA, dont drink the water and watch what food you eat and you should be fine.

Its a good idea to get yoru vaccs a couple of months before you go because you'll need to get boosters of Hep A and B. Also, you might find you have some side effects after them. I got a lot of bad flu-like symptoms from the yellow fever. you dont want to be feeling ill starting off on your trip.

Not sure how it is in the rest of the world, but the docs in Australia have a computer program they use, just type in the places to visit and it gives a list of reccomended vaccinations.

I had a bit of stiffness from the yellow fever, no prob with the others, just made me tired.

You want to try to avoid the anti-malaria tablets if you can, not the healthiest thing you can do to your body. As said previously, don't use them unless your wandering into the jungle or a known malaria area.

Fellow travellers' well-meant advice (including my own!) notwithstanding, the only way to really make sure is visit a GP who has tropical diseases as his or her specialty. Your local GP should be able to refer you. A sensible course of action in these matters not only depends on the country (often even region) where you go to, but also on your vaccination history, allergies, etc.